


Just Be With Me

by redxblueIhateloveyou



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Haru thinks Rin doesn't love him back, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Protective Rin, Requited Unrequited Love, Rin thinks Haru doesn't love him back, almost, they're huge dummies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26185228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redxblueIhateloveyou/pseuds/redxblueIhateloveyou
Summary: Rin accidentally finds out what Hiyori said to Haru (cause I've been fucking dreaming about this since 3x04 lol). Which leads to an unexpected turn of events.Set after arcades, but doesn't fit the canon timeline, since it's also set after Rinharu reunion and Haru isn't at camp.
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 12
Kudos: 135





	Just Be With Me

They were on their way out of the arcades, when Rin overheard Kisumi and Asahi actively arguing about something.

"He has some good qualities!"

Asahi only shrugged angrily.

"He’s an asshole!"

They were clearly still deep into the argument, that Kisumi has started with Sousuke about that Hiyori guy. Rin just shook his head, smiling. Pink haired boy was almost laying on Asahi's shoulder, while he was talking.

"He’s not that bad."

"You weren’t there. And you didn’t see Haru’s face when he said that. And he still didn’t even apologize. That asshole clearly knew, what he was saying. Haru looked miserable for days, he didn't even listen much, when I said that it was total bullshit. If it wasn’t for Nao-se.."

Rin found himself beside them, without even realizing it. 

"What did he say?"

Asahi immediately lost his train of thought, startled by sudden interruption, and Rin tried to pull himself back, noticing that his tone was too harsh. 

"Sorry..."

"It’s okay."

"What did he say? To Haru?"

Kisumi's face lit up with a grin, his eyes stopped on Rin's face, as if trying to find out if his guess is true, which Rin didn’t quite get and decided to ignore.

Asahi shrugged again.

"He said that everyone who swims with him ends up getting hurt, I just don’t get why Haru reacted like that. It’s a complete bullshit, that doesn’t make any sense."

Rin's blood went cold. _He thought he hurt you, so he quit swimming_.... Rei's voice resounded inside of his head. It felt like many years ago and at the same time like yesterday. To Rin it didn’t make any sense either, at a time. But he knew that Haru felt differently... Still? But he thought they cleared this up already. Rin frantically tried to replay all the events from that day. He clearly remembered saying to Rei that he never blamed Haru for anything that happened, but he just realized that he actually never said anything about it to Haru himself. But there was no way he could still feel that way. That felt surreal. Why? Rin's brain completely short-circuted.

He suddenly felt someone touching his shoulder.

"You okay?" Asahi was looking at him worriedly.

Rin shook his head, trying to get back to reality. 

"Yeah, I’m... fine. Hiyo.." He turned around to look at the doors.

"They already left." There were clear hints of disappointment in Kisumi's voice.

Rin turned to Sousuke.

"You guys go without me. I need to..."

Sousuke just shook his head smiling and lightly waving. 

"Go, Romeo."

Rin didn’t even hear him, already turning another way. It wouldn’t be the first time him and Haru unexpectedly needed to talk in the middle of the night. The only thing that Rin could think of right now is that he wouldn’t be able to sleep without talking to him after hearing that.

***

Haru was staring at Rin with wide eyes in the doorway, his hand froze on the doorknob. The pure shock in his gaze was quickly replaced with a flick of something that Rin couldn't quite identify, but what made him blush for some reason as he averted his eyes and awkwardly noticed.

"You shouldn't just open doors like that. It's not Iwatobi, you know. It's Tokyo."

When he raised his head again, Haru's face was already back to its usual unreadable self.

"Did something happen?" his voice was full of worry.

Rin shook his head. It was late and he didn't even know how to explain why he was here now. 

"I.. I just needed to talk to you."

Haru just stepped out of the doorway, silently inviting Rin in.

"Actually we met Kisumi and other guys, when I was visiting Sousuke and I accidentally overheard them talking."

The door closed with too much force. When Haruka turned to Rin, his eyes were almost glossy.

"What is it?" His voice was tired now, no trace of the glint in his gaze, from when he saw him at the door. He looked as if he was expecting Rin to bring him mackerel, but got celery instead.

"I've heard about Hiyori."

Haruka rubbed his eyes, sighing. Honestly, this was the last thing that was on his mind.

"Do we really have to do this right now?" He snapped.

Rin furrowed his brows.

"You’re angry. Why are you angry?"

Haru took a deep breath. Seeing Rin's genuine concern made him feel embarrassed about his outburst. 

"Sorry, I just.." His voice was barely a whisper. "It's because I thought you came here for another reason."

Red eyes got filled with confusion.

"What? Why would I come here?"

Haru chuckled bitterly.

"Of course. Why would you? You can go home, Rin. I’m okay now, promise. I forgot about what he said a long time ago."

"You're lying!"

"What's it to you, Rin?"

"Because _it is_ about us! And I just want to know, why you let him think it was true!" Rin raised his voice, as he felt the anger filling him. _Because that asshole was given the much wanted satisfaction of seeing Haru hurt. Because Haru was hurt and couldn't say anything back. Because he wasn't there with him. Because that asshole used him to hurt Haru. His Haru._

Rin tried to calm himself down.

"Did you think I lied, when I said that swimming with you was the only surprise I needed from that stupid party? Or when I said that without you I don't even see the point of this?"

Haru's eyes softened. He raised his hand for a moment as if he wanted to touch Rin, but then dropped it.

"No. I didn't. It's just..."

Haruka stopped for a moment. He honestly didn't know how to say this without it leading to him telling things he shouldn't. Rin's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Talk to me, please."

Haru felt himself giving up, catching the warm look in red eyes.

"I can't get this out of my head, you know." He said weakly. "A thirteen year old you sitting on the pool tiles and crying, because of me."

Rin winced. God, how many times since he grew up, he wanted to relive that moment and do everything differently. He looked into Haru's eyes, desperately trying to put everything he felt in these words.

"Never because of you. I swear, never once the thought of blaming you for anyhing has crossed my mind, Ha..."

"I know. Rei told me. I know you weren't. But I thought it was me. For four years I thought, I was the reason for that, and it just.. I can't get it out of my head. Just the thought makes my stomach turn and I can't sleep and I still can't get used to this."

The last time Rin heard Haruka talk this much was when he was yelling at him on that bench. Haru took a deep breath to calm his voice and smiled sadly.

"I think, I've felt like this just three times in my entire life, and I still don't know how to deal with this."

Rin watched him carefully, before asking, "W.. What made you feel like this the second time?"

Haruka eyes drifted, like he was reliving something. _I don’t have to swim with you ever again. Ever._ His voice was distant when he simply answered.

"You."

Rin swallowed hard, feeling like he was about to puke and already dreading hearing the next answer.

"And.. and the third?"

Haru's face flinched, as if he was in pain, his voice was barely a whisper, when he finally said, "Can we not do this, please? It’s humiliating."

Rin lowered his gaze to the floor, unable to meet the bright blues.

"I’m sorry. I..."

But Haru interupted him as soon as he started to speak.

"I didn't mean it like that.." His voice was much clearer now and yet sounded so much softer, that it made it made Rin raise his eyes again. "What do you have to be sorry for? It’s my problem, not yours. Besides..."

He froze for a moment, as if considering, if he should finish the next phrase. The second of the vulnerability in his eyes was immediately replaced with determination, as he looked right into Rin's eyes.

"...if I got to pick the happiest moments in my life, they’re all about you, too."

Rin felt like his heart actually stopped for a moment. There's no way Haru meant it like that. He cleared his throat. 

"Don't, don't just say things like that so easy."

"E..easy?" Haru looked at Rin for a long time, his gaze still unreadable. "I just said the truth."

Rin let out a quiet chuckle, that meant to be sarcastic, but turned out sad.

"Right, sorry."

For a second he thought, that he saw Haru's face turning ever more pale.

"Right, sorry?!" Behind the irritation in his voice, two words were filled with so much hurt that Rin felt his blood going cold. "Well, don't be, it’s not your fault, you don’t feel the same."

Rin froze. It can't be. But there's no way those words can be interpreted any different. No, there's no way he heard this right.

"Haru... you’re killing me, it can’t..." Rin ran his shaky fingers through his hair. "But you can't be. In love _with me_?"

 _No, with Gou_ sarcastically remarked Haru in his mind. He couldn’t believe that this absurd idea of him being with his sister somehow has crossed Rin's mind already three times in his lifetime, but not once he would think about him being Haru's second half.

"Go home, Rin."

"You didn’t answer my question."

"I don’t think it’s fair Rin. I think, I’ve said enough already."

"Will you please look at me?"

Hearing a shaky voice, Haru lifted his head only to meet eyes, that were staring at him so intently that he suddenly forgot how to breathe. He honestly just felt very tired. Of everything. And of this stupid constant pretending.

"I love you" Haru’s voice was very soft and quiet, but his eyes were full of challenge. "That's what you wanted to hear, right?"

"It’s not funny."

Haruka’s eyes grew a bit wide, when he suddenly swallowed and turned away, before saying, "Can you please leave, Rin?"

The barely heard shudder in his voice by the end of the phrase felt like a bucket of cold water. Suddenly Rin was shaken back to reality. Cause Haru would never joke about something like that. 

Haru was in love with him? Haru... the one that made his heart an absolute unrecoverable mess throughout all these years... the one he wanted so badly, it hurt sometimes, wanted him back? Rin never even allowed himself to think about this possibility. He forced himself to take a shaky breath. 

"You’re serious.. you’re actually serious."

The relief that filled his heart at this moment was so sudden, that he felt his eyes become watery. He never even realized that this feeling he tried to keep as deeply buried as possible was weighting down on him so much. It's like there was a constant hurt inside of him that he got used to living with, that has finally stopped.  
Rin needed to touch him. He caught Haru near the door, grabbing his wrist and forcing him to turn around, only to find himself eye to eye with a dreary blue gaze. Rin's hand traced Haruka's cheek, catching the wet trail and just like that the pain in his heart was back again. He made him cry. He never saw Haru cry. Rin buried his face in Haru's neck and felt a shaky hand on his hair.

"It's okay, Rin. Really. I'm gonna be fine..."

Only then Rin realized that he didn't even say anything. Was he.. was Haru just comforting _him_ after thinking that he was rejected? Rin felt tears falling down on Haru's neck, when he pulled him closer, wrapping his arms tightly around the slender figure.

"I love you." Rin breathed out in a wet warm skin. He let his hand trace Haru's neck and felt the body in his arms tense. He forced himself to raise his head a stared straight into the disbelieving blue eyes. "I love you."

His mouth crushed into a slightly opened lips with such fervor, that the fingers in his hair harshly gripped the red strands. Haru's body shuddered in his arms as if was holding his breath for too long. His other hand trailed down Rin's stomach, until it found the way under his shirt and his arms got wrapped around the hot naked skin. Closer, he needed him as closer as possible. When Rin's teeth slightly grazed Haru's lower lip, he let out such a sinful moan, that Rin started to shake. Haru... Haru was so warm, no, he was buring in his arms. His legs quivered, when he felt Haru's tongue licking it's way past his lips. As if sensing that, Haru grabbed Rin's shirt and pulled him, while taking two steps back until his back hit the door. They pulled back for a second, taking a breath and catching each others eyes, still so close that their noses were touching. 

Haru's hand found it's way behind Rin's ear, brushing the sensitive skin. "I've missed you. I’ve missed you so much."

Rin kissed the tip of Haruka's nose, his cheekbone, the corner of his mouth, thumb gently stroking over red swallen lips. 

"Feels like I'm dreaming."

Haru let out a little laugh, but it still sounded almost painful.

"Stupid.." He breathed out into Rin's mouth, pinching his earlobe. 

Rin's eyes slowly traced Haru's face and he felt himself blush. Haruka was just an absolutely beautiful mess. His eyes were still glazed with unshed tears, but were shining so brightly, that Rin found it hard to look away. He looked... he looked so breathtakenly happy, that Rin felt his chest clench.

"I'm sorry, I made you wait for so long."

Haruka's fingers under Rin's shirt thoughtlessly went up and down his ribs, making Rin shiver.

"Maybe... maybe now is better." His eyes drifted for a second. "I'm not sure, I could've let you go to another continent after that."

Rin laughed breathlessly, suddenly felling very shy.

"You want to... Will you go out with me?"

Haruka's eyes glinted. 

"No."

Rin visibly flinched, his arm slightly loosened his grip around Haru.

"N..no? Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume that..."

"No, stupid" Haru's eyes softened. "Just... be with me. I.. I really need you to just be with me. So... skip the dates, okay?"

Rin's head dropped to Haru's shoulder, as he tightly wrapped himself around him, hiding his face. He can really stay with him, for as long as he wanted. He felt the lump in his throat, as tears of relief soaked Haru's shirt, when he barely whispered, "Deal."

Haru was still holding him in his arms, when he suddenly softly chuckled, making Rin raise his head.

"What?"

Haru's hand cupped Rin's cheek, brushing the soft skin.

"Just thought for a second, that maybe, we should thank Hiyori next time we see him."

Rin eyes flashed, when he angrily mumbled under his breath, "Sure, right after I punch him in the face."

Haruka chuckled again, wrapping his arms around Rin's neck and lightly brushing their lips together.

"Deal."


End file.
